


healing of a damaged heart

by Hellokaelyn



Category: NCIS
Genre: F/M, Gibbs with a side of Ellick, sometime post 17x11
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-05
Updated: 2020-07-05
Packaged: 2021-03-05 03:35:15
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 841
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25097734
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hellokaelyn/pseuds/Hellokaelyn
Summary: It all starts when Gibbs holds her for the first time.
Relationships: Ellie Bishop/Nick Torres
Comments: 15
Kudos: 70





	healing of a damaged heart

**Author's Note:**

> Had this request sitting in my inbox on tumblr for months and finally decided to knock it out!

His life was filled with heartache and loss. It was something he’d come to live with—there wasn’t any other option as long as he wanted to keep going, keep living even if some days were more of a struggle than others.

In the last few years, he’s had a lot of good and happy moments but there was always this gaping hole in his heart that nothing seemed to fill. Not his team, any relationship he’s been in, not even the four kids that made his team—past and present—parents. 

Until Caitlyn Sofia Torres was born.

_ Gibbs watched the newest addition to his mismatched found family with careful eyes from her spot in Nick’s arms. A man who once was adamant about not having kids of his own, was now looking at his newborn daughter with love filled eyes that only hours ago was reserved for the blonde lying in the hospital bed and no one else. Pride for him spread through Gibbs’ chest, Nick had come far from the man who joined the team with thick walls around himself and he knew a lot of it was because of her.  _

_ “Nick, will you stop hogging her?” Ellie huffed from the bed, pushing herself up against the pillows with a slight wince. _

_ “What? How could I be hogging my own daughter?”  _

_ “Will you at least let Gibbs hold her? He’s the only one that hasn’t yet.” _

_ Nick let out a sigh, glancing at him. “You wanna hold her Gibbs?” _

_ “Hand her over Torres.” He said with an upward twist of his lips. Ellie chuckled giving Nick a ‘told you so’ look making the man roll his eyes fondly as he handed Caitlyn over.  _

_ It seemed almost instant.  _

_ Gibbs carefully cradled her, looking at her face that was a perfect mix of her parents with a small bit of dark hair on her head perfectly matching her slight tan complexion just like her father. He looked at her eyes and felt it. That small portion of true content began to form that he hadn’t felt in years, almost a lifetime ago now but still so fresh. Eyes that were her mothers, but Gibbs could’ve sworn there was already a familiar spark of mischief that came from her dad. _

_ He moved away from the hospital bed as he gently rocked her in his hold. Once at the other side of the room he looked up at the new parents, only to grin and laugh under his breath. _

_ They were already in their own world as Nick stepped up beside the bed, hand running through her blonde hair with a soft smile on his lips. She looked up at him with the same look, but with a small bit of wonder as if she couldn’t believe it wasn't a dream. _

_ “Your parents do that a lot, kid.” Gibbs told Caitlyn in a whisper with a chuckle. “Pair of lovesick teenagers those two.” _

Gibbs knew Caitlyn held a more special place in his heart than the other kids. He didn’t see Victoria much, Tali was mostly seen through video calls with first Tony in Paris then Ziva joining permanently four years later, and he spent plenty of time with the twins but the McGee’s had enough of their own life as a family outside of work that while he loved the twins—it was different.

That didn’t mean he expected for her to affect him the way she did.

For the first time in a long while Gibbs truly and honestly felt choked up by the emotions filling him, not the ones of despair or guilt—but of happiness and a warmth that fills his damaged heart. Feelings that he hasn't felt since Kelly called him "daddy" spread though his entire being, mending the missing and broken pieces her death left behind. 

All because one little girl called him Grandpa.

He smiled. A large one that showed his teeth, making Caitlyn smile a toothy grin right back.

None of the other kids called him Grandpa before. It was like it all fell into place.

When Ellie and Nick came to pick her up, it was Ellie who stopped and stared at him with an inspecting look. Her answer came shortly when Caitlyn called him it again. 

Ellie smiled at him softly, not needing him to share any words to know why he seemed different to her. 

He watched them leave and moved to watch them head to the car, Caitlyn chatting away in Nick’s arms who was enthusiastically talking back with her despite his daughter not speaking many words yet. Ellie carried Caitlyn’s go-bag over her shoulder while her free hand fussed at her daughter's hair making an already amused Nick gently bump his shoulder with hers, non-verbally teasing her. 

Once they drove off, he dropped down onto the couch with a heavy sigh but a smile stayed on his face.

“It’s about damn time Probie.”

Gibbs leaned his head back against the couch and grinned at the voice of his old friend.

**Author's Note:**

> Did y'all catch why shes named Caitlyn? 😂 Clayton...Caitlyn.


End file.
